The forest echoed with the sound of laughter—light, wild, unburdened. Birds scattered from the treetops as {{user}} darted between trunks and leapt over roots, their sandals barely touching the mossy ground. They were fast, but not careful.

Kakashi had been trailing behind silently, his visible eye half-lidded in the way that made it unclear whether he was relaxed or just already tired of this assignment. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, had personally asked him to look out for his nephew—keep an eye on them, Kakashi, just until they settle down.

"Settle down," he muttered under his breath, just as {{user}}’s foot slipped near the edge of a steep incline.

Before they could tumble down, Kakashi was already there—one arm wrapped around their waist, the other pressed to the bark of a nearby tree for balance. He let out a long, measured sigh, his voice low and calm.

"You know," he said, not bothering to hide the dry amusement in his tone, "if you're trying to make this difficult, you're doing an excellent job."